Brian Barritt obituary

My friend Brian Barritt, who has died aged 76, was an artist and writer who lived on his own terms. As a creator, inner-space explorer and adventurer, he was one of the sharpest, most original and inspiring people I've known.

Brian was involved with leading figures of the underground, such as William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, and had many an adventure with LSD guru Tim Leary. Brian's books – which include Whisper (1971), The Road of Excess (1998) and The Road to Tír na n'Og (2001) – mapped his journey from the 50s Beat scene through psychedelic adventures in the 60s and beyond, to the archaeological explorations that marked the last phase of his life.

There was also music, which ranged from the early German Cosmische scene to recent work with the cutting-edge producer Youth. His most recent book, The Nabob of Bombasta (2010), a collection of "psychedelic erotic science fiction", showed the full range of Brian's outrageous and imaginative sense of humour. Brian's archaeological interests – which started at Newgrange and Loughcrew neolithic monuments in County Meath, Ireland – have initiated a research programme into the properties of the 111hz sound vibration often found at ancient sites.

Brian is survived by his partner, Liz Elliot, and his stepson, David Downie. In 1984, he and Liz had a daughter, Arabella, who died in a car crash in 2003.